Ric Lawson Wells (born 20 October 1955) was an Australian diplomat and senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). He was a Deputy Secretary of DFAT and, before that, Australia’s Ambassador to France from 2011 until 2014.[1]

After commencing employment with DFAT Wells had postings to Cairo (1982-1985) and Jakarta (1987-1989). He was Assistant Secretary, Services and Intellectual Property Branch (1994-1995) and was Deputy Head of the Australian Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva (1995-1999).[5] Following that, Wells was an Assistant Secretary in the Trade Policy and Industrials Branch during 1999. From 2000 until 2002 he was an Assistant Secretary of the Asia, Americas and Trade Branch in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. During 2002 he headed the White Paper Task Force And in the following year was appointed the First Assistant Secretary of the South Pacific, Africa and Middle East Division.

Between 2005 and 2009, Wells was the Head of the China Free Trade Agreement Task Force, the Head of the Japan Free Trade Agreement Task Force and the Head of the Korea Free Trade Agreement Task Force.[6] In May 2007 Wells told Australian politicians that the agreement was progressing slowly because "the Chinese Government doesn't want an FTA".[7] The China–Australia Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2015.

In the years before his appointment as Ambassador to France he was both the Deputy Secretary of the department of DFAT and Australia’s Ambassador to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group.[8][9]